Ask the Allergist

Do I have to carry the two Epipen’s my doctor prescribed, or can I divide them to accommodate for school and home?Yes, the 2 EpiPen’s given by your doctor are not to be divided so you can have one for school and for the road. Up to 20% of patients who receive an initial first-aid dose of epinephrine for treatment of anaphylaxis in the community are reported to require a second dose, either because of ongoing symptoms or because of biphasic anaphylaxis. Therefore it is important to carry the EpiPen injector together and as always, like any other medicine, not to live them in the car or at extreme temperatures.

At what age is my child ready to carry the EpiPen by himself?Most pediatric allergists expect that by age 12 to 14 years, their patients should begin to share responsibilities with adults for anaphylaxis recognition and epinephrine auto-injector use; however, they individualized the timing based on assessment of patient readiness factors is to be considered.

Is it possible for a child to outgrow nuts and peanut allergies?We estimate that 20% of patients with peanut allergy will outgrow it, and approximately 9% of the patients will outgrow their tree nut allergy.

After a first blood allergy test, when is recommended to re test?We recommend blood test once per year, the idea of the blood test is to follow the allergy over time and evaluate when if possible the food can be re-introduced into the patient’s diet.

Does longer exclusive breastfeeding reduce the risk of asthma?Yes, in a recent study of over 1,000 children showed that exclusive breastfeeding for a mean of 4 months led to a lower incidence of wheezing and respiratory symptoms for the first 4 years of life, with the most significant effect occurring in the first 2 years of life.

Dr. Jonathan Malka, MD, is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of Asthma and Allergies. As Director of Asthma/Allergy & Immunology at Pediatric Associates, he leads a team of doctors and nurses with the main goal of helping children and their families understand the reasons for their allergies and take steps to control and potentially eliminate allergic reactions.